Illegal and sometimes fatal late-night street racing emerged as the stuff of controversy at Toronto's Canadian International AutoShow.
Those apparently banking on its youth appeal included:
Mitsubishi, which offered a sneak preview of this summer's sequel to the street-racing movie The Fast and the Furious as a scene-setter for the launch of a sporty version of the 2004 Lancer sub-compact.
Chrysler. With a similar theme it boasted that its new, rip-snorting, turbocharged Dodge SRT-4 will "beat anything it comes up against on the street." Opposition came from a surprise supporter. Honda - traditionally the brand of choice for young street-racers - announced it will support efforts to put a lid on late-night racing. As evidence, Honda handed Toronto police the keys to an eye catching, sports Civic for use by officers who patrol racers' favourite haunts.
Sergeant Theo Holtzheuser said his colleagues are appalled at the number of teen street racers with beginners' licences, at how many race cars are 'owned' by parents and at the number of cars improperly insured with young racers listed fraudulently as 'second' or occasional drivers. He adds some race cars are dangerously unstable, having been modified by amateurs often using wrong, untested and non-approved parts. Yet with some teen drivers spending as much as $20,000 on special tune-ups, police are wondering whether the funds are coming from other criminal activities.
http://www.globeandmail.com/globemegawheels/20030227/covert.html
Those apparently banking on its youth appeal included:
Mitsubishi, which offered a sneak preview of this summer's sequel to the street-racing movie The Fast and the Furious as a scene-setter for the launch of a sporty version of the 2004 Lancer sub-compact.
Chrysler. With a similar theme it boasted that its new, rip-snorting, turbocharged Dodge SRT-4 will "beat anything it comes up against on the street." Opposition came from a surprise supporter. Honda - traditionally the brand of choice for young street-racers - announced it will support efforts to put a lid on late-night racing. As evidence, Honda handed Toronto police the keys to an eye catching, sports Civic for use by officers who patrol racers' favourite haunts.
Sergeant Theo Holtzheuser said his colleagues are appalled at the number of teen street racers with beginners' licences, at how many race cars are 'owned' by parents and at the number of cars improperly insured with young racers listed fraudulently as 'second' or occasional drivers. He adds some race cars are dangerously unstable, having been modified by amateurs often using wrong, untested and non-approved parts. Yet with some teen drivers spending as much as $20,000 on special tune-ups, police are wondering whether the funds are coming from other criminal activities.
http://www.globeandmail.com/globemegawheels/20030227/covert.html
